Michigan considers expanding bottle deposit law

LANSING, MICH. (June 5, 2:35 p.m. ET) — A proposal in the Michigan legislature would include water bottles in the state’s bottle bill.

A proposal in Michigan would expand the state’s bottle bill to include bottled water and other drinks not covered by the law.

House Bill 5703 would expand the state’s 10-cent deposit bill to include noncarbonated water and other “nonalcoholic carbonated or noncarbonated drinks in liquid form and intended for internal human consumption.” The current law charges the consumer a 10-cent deposit for carbonated soda, beer, mixed wine drink or mixed spirit drink in a metal, glass, paper or plastic container.

Milk, unflavored rice milk, unflavored soymilk or a dairy-derived drinks are exempt from the proposal.

Michigan has the country’s only 10-cent bottle bill and it has a 96 percent return rate, according to data supplied by the state. Michigan also bans these beverage containers from landfills.

Another bill making its way through the Michigan legislature, House Bill 5560, would exempt pouch drinks from the state’s bottle bill.